Ann Martin - Baby-Sitters Club 021

Vanessa was in the bedroom she shares with me, writing poems. She keeps a fat notebook full of her poetry, and she said the rainy weather had inspired her, so she would be busy for hours, too. When Vanessa gets on a roll, she can write eight or ten long poems.

Finally Margo and Claire were upstairs in their room. They were playing Candy Land. Ordinarily, that causes endless arguments, and even a few tears, but they were also quiet.

"We're playing the best out of seven games," Margo informed Jessi and me when we stuck our heads in their room to make sure they were still alive.

The best of seven. That could take all day.

Jessi and I settled ourselves in the kitchen with cups of hot chocolate. (There is just nothing like hot chocolate on a rainy day, summer or winter.) "Do you think we should split up?" Jessi asked me. "I'll sit upstairs, you sit downstairs - in case an argument breaks out or something. This seems too easy." I smiled. "I really think everyone is okay. At the first sign of trouble, we'll separate. Right now, let's leave the kids alone and just relax." Jessi didn't have a problem with that! We finished our hot chocolate, went into the living room, and sprawled on the rug.

"What would you do if you had a million dollars?" Jessi asked me.

"Get my ears pierced," I replied.

Jessi giggled. "Okay, after that, you'd still probably have, oh, about nine hundred thousand nine hundred and ninety bucks left. Then what would you do?" "Get contacts. And get my hair cut and styled." "And after that?" "Pay the orthodontist not to give me braces." Jessi couldn't stop laughing. "Then what?" she managed to say.

"Buy a nine-bedroom house for my family." "So each of you kids could have your own room?" "Exactly." "Hmm. You'd really want separate rooms?" "After sharing all our lives? Of course." "Even the triplets?" "Definitely. I mean, they spend a lot of time together, but they are different people. They have different interests and stuff. And sometimes they do get on each other's nerves." "You know, it's funny. I've never had a bit of trouble telling the triplets apart," said Jessi. "Well, maybe a little when I first met them. But after that, never." "Most people don't have any trouble," I said. "Okay. What would you do with a million bucks?" "Get my ears pierced," replied Jessi, and we both began laughing again.

"You know," I said, "I feel like a baby because Mom and Dad won't let me get my ears pierced or my hair cut or wear cool clothes. But when I think about it, maybe they're the babies. I mean, ear-piercing is safe if you have it done professionally. It isn't safe to have a friend do it with a needle and an ice cube, but - " "Oh, EW! That is so disgusting! A needle and an ice cube!" cried Jessi. Then she calmed down. "But," she went on, "I don't think your parents - or mine - are babies. I know what you mean, but they must have good reasons for what they will and won't let us do." "Whose side are you on?" I demanded, but I wasn't really angry.

Jessi smiled. "I'm just being diploma - Hey, look! Twins!" I turned and saw Claire and Margo coming down the stairs hand in hand. Each was wearing a pair of pink sweat pants, a white turtle-neck, and running shoes, with a pink bow in her hair.

"What happened to Candy Land?" I asked the girls.

"We got tired of it," Claire replied.

"Claire got tired of it," said Margo pointedly.

"Silly-billy-goo-goo," Claire said, and giggled. She's going through that five-year-old silly stage.

"So we decided to have a fashion show," Margo went on. "This is the first fashion of the year. It's the Terrific Twin outfit." "Stunning," said Jessi.

"Superb," I added.

Claire turned around gracefully. Margo spun around and fell down.

Then they ran back upstairs.

"Gotta change," Claire yelled over her shoulder.

"New outfits coming up!" called Margo.

When they were out of earshot, Jessi said, "Remember how much fun it used to be to pretend you had a twin?" "1 guess," I answered slowly, trying to remember.

"Oh, Becca and I used to do it all the time. Once, we were wearing matching dresses and Mom took us shopping and we told everyone we were really twins. The only problem was, Becca and I are three years apart, and I've always been tall for my age, so I was, like, at least a whole head taller than Becca was. People must have thought we were crazy!" I laughed. "I know Kristy and Karen" (Karen is Kristy's stepsister) "have a matching sister outfit that they get a kick out of wearing together. But I really don't remember ever pretending I was a twin. I do remember once, though, when our family was on vacation and Vanessa and I tried to convince people we were French. We said oui and non and spoke with an accent." "Okay! Here we come again!" called Margo. "We're the fashion beauties. Close your eyes. When you open them, you'll see another new fashion." Jessi and I obediently closed our eyes.

"What fashion will we be seeing?" asked Jessi while we waited.

We could hear whispering.

"You will be seeing Beach Fashion," replied Margo. "Now open your eyes." We opened them. It was all we could do to keep from laughing. My sisters were wearing bathing suits, knee socks, some old high-heeled shoes of Mom's, and a ton of jewelry.

"Impressive," said Jessi.

"Smashing," I added.

The fashion show continued until Claire got tired of it and said, "Margo, let's play Candy Land, okay? Best out of seven." The girls disappeared. Jessi and I made a quick check on the rest of my brothers and sisters. Vanessa was murmuring to herself and writing in her notebook. Nicky was patiently revolving a Ping-Pong ball around the yellow tennis ball. The triplets were rewinding the movie, getting set to watch it one final time.

"All quiet on the western front," Jessi said to me as we returned to the living room.

I laughed. Jessi and 1 had both tried to read that book and had hated it, even though it was a classic and we knew we were supposed to like it.

"You know," I said suddenly, "I am so glad you moved to Stoneybrook. I think we make awfully good best friends." "Definitely," agreed Jessi.

"But you know what would make my life perfect?" I asked.

"What?" "Getting my ears pierced and looking more grown-up. Or at the very least, more human." "Dream on," replied Jessi.

Chapter 5.

Ding-dong! I rang the Arnolds' bell, expecting to hear feet running toward the door.

Nothing.

After a moment, I rang the bell again.

"Marilyn? Carolyn?" 1 could hear Mrs. Arnold call. Silence. At last the door was flung open. "Hello, Mallory," said the twins' mother.

"Hi," I replied.

"Goodness, I don't know where the girls have gotten to. I'm sure they're here somewhere. I thought they would answer the door." I stepped inside. Mrs. Arnold was patting the bow in her hair. I noticed that she was wearing three rings on that one hand - and nail polish, of course.

"Marilyn! Carolyn!" called Mrs. Arnold again. Then, "MARILYN! CAROLYN! I am going to count to three. If you're not here by then, you will be in big trouble. . . . One, two," (no twins yet) "two and a half, two and three quarters, I hope you like your bedroom because you'll be spending a lot of time there if - " "Here we are! Here we are!" Marilyn and Carolyn raced into the hallway. Inwardly, I sighed. They were dressed identically again. I guess I'd been hoping for ... I don't know. But there they were - matching plaid dresses, white tights, black patent leather Mary Jane shoes, red ribbons in their hair, gold lockets, gold rings, pink nail polish, and (thank goodness) their name bracelets.

Mrs. Arnold took one look at her daughters and exclaimed, "Why, you switched bracelets again, you monkeys!" (How could she tell?) "Now switch them back. I hope you won't be teasing Mallory today." Believe me, I hoped they wouldn't be teasing Mallory today, either.